Preview — Marie Antoinette
by Antonia Fraser

Marie Antoinette: The Journey

France’s beleaguered queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous “Let them eat cake,” was the subject of ridicule and curiosity even before her death; she has since been the object of debate and speculation and the fascination so often accorded tragic figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted, privileged, but otherwisFrance’s beleaguered queen, Marie Antoinette, wrongly accused of uttering the infamous “Let them eat cake,” was the subject of ridicule and curiosity even before her death; she has since been the object of debate and speculation and the fascination so often accorded tragic figures in history. Married in mere girlhood, this essentially lighthearted, privileged, but otherwise unremarkable child was thrust into an unparalleled time and place, and was commanded by circumstance to play a significant role in history. Antonia Fraser’s lavish and engaging portrait of Marie Antoinette, one of the most recognizable women in European history, excites compassion and regard for all aspects of her subject, immersing the reader not only in the coming-of-age of a graceful woman, but also in the unraveling of an era....more

Community Reviews

Next Saturday, October 16th will be her 217th Death Anniversary. On that same day, 217 years ago, Marie Antoinette or Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna (1755-1793) was executed by guillotine. She was convicted of treason. Nine months prior to that her husband, King Louis XIV was executed. These all happened at the height of the French Revolution (1789-1799).

Marie Antoinette was a victim from birth to death. Her marriage to King Louis XIV was a move to forge alliances among the warring countries inclNext Saturday, October 16th will be her 217th Death Anniversary. On that same day, 217 years ago, Marie Antoinette or Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna (1755-1793) was executed by guillotine. She was convicted of treason. Nine months prior to that her husband, King Louis XIV was executed. These all happened at the height of the French Revolution (1789-1799).

Marie Antoinette was a victim from birth to death. Her marriage to King Louis XIV was a move to forge alliances among the warring countries included in the Seven Years War. Included in these countries were Austria, where Marie Antoinette was an Archduchess and France, where Louis-Auguste (who became King Louis XIV) was a Dauphin. Prior to their marriage, France was used to be Austria's traditional enemy. Even at the time of her execution, peasants were shouting: "Hang the Austrian woman! Long live France!". Marie Antoinette did not dream of becoming a French queen. She just followed the wishes of her mother, Empress Maria Theresa who she did not have a good relation as the later had her favorite, Marie Antoinette's younger sister, Maria Carolina. Thus leaving Hamburg for Paris to live in Versailles was Marie Antoinette way of ending her jealousy of being the less-favoured daughter of the empress.

Unfortunately, King Louis XIV did not love her and it took time for their marriage to be consummated. They had 4 children and two of them died at their young age. Their eldest survived, Marie-Therese Charlotte (1778-1851)who later became Dauphine of France upon ascension of her father-in-law to the throne of France in 1824. After the death of the first son who died at the age of 7, the second son (third child) was born: Louis XVII (1785-1795). He, too died but this time, during the imprisonment of her parents in the palace tower.

The line "let them eat cake", with "them" being the hungry French peasants because of bread shortage, has not been proven to have come from her. It first appeared in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions but Rousseau did not name who the "great princess" was.

Marie Antoinette was never a political animal. She had no power and was content in playing her role as a queen attending social functions and doing civic works. Her unhappy marriage resulted to her becoming frivolous. She dressed herself up extravagantly and wanted to have all the luxuries despite the poor economic condition of the country. She was accused of everything from lesbianism, occult and having incestuous relation with her own son.

This is a heartfelt biography of a misunderstood famous figure in French history. She is said to be one of the 4 world-famous French figures in the history following Napoleon Bonaparte, Joan of Arc and Charles de Gaulle. According to Wiki, Fraser's depiction of Marie Antoinette here is kind. For me, that's baloney. This work presented the balanced view of Marie Antoinette and is well-documented as Fraser has all the footnotes and cross-references.

"Is anybody here a mother?" was her heartfelt line during her trial when her accuser brought up her alleged incestuous relation with her own son.

"Pardon me Sir, I meant not to do it" were her last words addressing her executioner when Marie Antoinette accidentally stepped on his toes on her way to the guillotine. Oh yes, like her king husband he faced her trial and execution with grace.

Those last words that should have come from the people who condemned her, in my honest opinion. Her being a political pawn and scapegoat was too tragic. A queen killed by her own people was too sad.

As a former French major in college, I really enjoyed this book and learned so much about this period of time and the dynamics of the monarchy in France. While at times it was difficult to keep all the characters straight since they had multiple names/titles, I found that the overall narrative was compelling. Most people today have little sympathy for this queen, but I came away from this book with a much altered impression of her character and personality. She was truly in an impossible positioAs a former French major in college, I really enjoyed this book and learned so much about this period of time and the dynamics of the monarchy in France. While at times it was difficult to keep all the characters straight since they had multiple names/titles, I found that the overall narrative was compelling. Most people today have little sympathy for this queen, but I came away from this book with a much altered impression of her character and personality. She was truly in an impossible position...a queen in a country where the royalty was expected to live in a certain fashion, where, in fact, the people demanded it, and yet where the resentment for that lifestyle would eventually be her demise. It reminded me of the "hero worship" of athletes and entertainment celebrities yet the gratification many feel when they are brought down! It's as though we want them to be "bigger than life" and put them in that place, yet resent it at the same time. Anyway, an interesting read for the history buff. You will most certainly come away with a much greater understanding of and sympathy for Marie Antoinette!...more

My copy of Lady Antonia Fraser's "Marie-Antoinette, The Journey" (Anchor Books, 2002) sports on its cover the round face of Kirsten Dunst which, as anyone who has studied portraits of Marie-Antoinette knows, is in sharp contrast to the lovely oval countenance of the real queen. I found it annoying, at first. However, while reading the international best seller, I came to see the photo from the Coppola film as suitable for a book which, at times, sacrifices historical exegesis to the demands of pMy copy of Lady Antonia Fraser's "Marie-Antoinette, The Journey" (Anchor Books, 2002) sports on its cover the round face of Kirsten Dunst which, as anyone who has studied portraits of Marie-Antoinette knows, is in sharp contrast to the lovely oval countenance of the real queen. I found it annoying, at first. However, while reading the international best seller, I came to see the photo from the Coppola film as suitable for a book which, at times, sacrifices historical exegesis to the demands of political correctness. The Marie-Antoinette of "The Journey" is sexually liberated (Fraser even has her using birth control) and therefore made acceptable to the popular culture. It is a portrait which contradicts evidence, presented in the same book and in other biographies, about the beliefs, sentiments and lifestyle of the true Marie-Antoinette.

Fraser's biography of the doomed queen reads better than any the of the half-dozen novels which have emanated from it. It is a definite page-turner, with the vivid imagery yet understated style we have all come to expect from Lady Antonia. Her weaving together of historical details combines with insightful reflections about the actions of the various personages, creating a compelling "journey" into the past. Unfortunately, mingled with a careful sifting of documentation are occasional but devastating departures from solid scholarship. Romantic, lurid and unsubstantiated claims tell the reader more about contemporary views of life and morality than about Marie-Antoinette's actual situation and temperament. Such grotesque lapses amid otherwise brilliant and witty historical narrative make this book a disappointment. It is not one of the best biographies about the last queen of France.

First, let me describe what I liked and what I learned from "The Journey." Fraser gives numerous details about the charitable works of Marie-Antoinette, showing her efforts to help the unfortunate to be more extensive than I had originally conceived. Her donations and grants permeated her entire reign and indeed her entire life, dating back to childhood gifts for those in need. Generosity was not only part of her upbringing but part of her compassionate nature, of which Fraser gives copious examples.

Fraser skillfully builds a picture of the growing love between the young Louis and Marie-Antoinette. Her depiction of their early years together is not as thorough as that of Vincent Cronin in "Louis and Antoinette," and her discussion of their marital problems falls short of the ingenuous analysis of the great Simone Bertiere in "L'Insoumise." Fraser describes Louis as a fat teenager, which contradicts many contemporary accounts of his appearance, including that of the Duchess of Northumberland, who said of the Dauphin Louis-Auguste at his wedding:"The Dauphin disappointed me much. I expected him to be horrid but I really liked his aspect. He is tall and slender with a 'très intéressant' figure and he seems witty. He has a quite pale complexion and eyes. He has a mass of fair hair very well planted."

It is charming, nevertheless, how Lady Antonia concludes that the Temple of Love in the gardens of Trianon was built by Marie-Antoinette to celebrate the final consummation of her marriage in 1777, and the "bonheur essentiel," the "essential happiness," of which she wrote to her mother about her relationship with Louis XVI. Fraser speaks of an incident in which the king visits his wife at Petit Trianon and stands beneath her window, speaking tender words to her. Fraser herself concludes at the end that, overall, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette had a good marriage, as royal marriages go.

It is the very moving and sensitive portrayal of the relationship of the royal couple that makes Lady Antonia's insistence upon the queen's mythical affair with Count Fersen a bizarre intrusion. Fraser guesses, based on no evidence but a comment from the courtesan Lady Elizabeth Foster, who was not an intimate friend of the queen's, that a liaison began in 1783 and continued for many years. She also claims that Marie-Antoinette would have slept with Fersen because it is "human nature" to give into passion. Simone Bertiere, however, surmises that the queen's respect for her husband and position alone, as well as the fear of producing illegitimate heirs to the French throne, would have been enough to keep her away from the count, including her high moral standards.

While sleeping with Fersen, Fraser claims that Marie-Antoinette was also sleeping with the king. To be shared by two men is completely at odds with the modest, prudish, innocent image of Marie-Antoinette built by Fraser in earlier chapters and by biographers such as Cronin, Delorme, Webster, and Bertiere. Fraser insists that Louis fathered all of his wife's children because Fersen would have been clever enough to use condoms. And yet she sites an instance when Fersen impregnated one of his mistresses; condoms were not always reliable. That the daughter of one of the most prolific dynasties in Europe, of a family of sixteen children, to whom children were a gift from God, would consent to any contraceptive measure in or out of the marital embrace, surpasses all reason and belief.

Bertiere mentions how Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette refrained from marital relations after the birth of baby Sophie in 1786, probably due to the queen's health and fragile emotional state. Jean Chalon relates what a difficult time it was for her - the year 1786 - Louis-Joseph's health was failing, the baby Sophie was not thriving. Marie-Antoinette, aware of the horrible calumnies being spread about herself in the wake of the Diamond Necklace scandal, declared to Madame Campan in September of 1786, "I want to die!" When Madame Campan brought her orange flower water for her nerves, she said, "No, do not love me, it is better to give me death!" She may have had post-partum depression or even suffering from a nervous breakdown.

Chalon also shows how the queen became more pious following baby Sophie's death; she gave orders that the fasts of the Church be more carefully observed at her table than previously. She began making public devotions and prayers with her household in the royal chapel. Desmond Seward relates this as well. Abstaining from the marriage bed was how practicing Catholics, then as now, spaced pregnancies for reasons of grave necessity. Artificial means of preventing conception were not an option.

Fraser writes that there is no solid evidence of the affair because Fersen was the soul of discretion. She overlooks the fact that queen had no privacy; the ambassadors Mercy and Aranda paid servants to check the royal bed linens and submitted detailed reports to their sovereigns about the private life of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. Fersen is not even mentioned. He was not even a concern.

As for a certain night in February 1792, when some biographers think Marie-Antoinette and Fersen may have slept together, Fraser says she "hopes so." It is obvious that to the author a rendez-vous is the panacea of all ills. Needless to say that at the time, the queen was a prisoner, heavily guarded day and night. Any secret nocturnal meetings were with a non-juring priest, so she could licitly confess and receive Communion, as Fraser also relates, once again contradicting her own testimony. Fersen was embroiled in a passionate affair with Eleonore Sullivan. It is unlikely he slept with the queen, in spite of Lady Antonia's hopes.

The most peculiar aspect of "The Journey" is contained in a foot note, in which Fraser speculates about the last Mass and Holy Communion which Marie-Antoinette may have partaken of on the eve of her trial in October, 1793. Lady Antonia writes: "With this pious story, as with the romantic one of Fersen's last love-making in the Tuileries, one cannot help hoping it is true." To place the Holy Eucharist and what it would have meant to Marie-Antoinette at the time, with her husband killed, her little son brutalized, her daughter and sister-in-law threatened with molestation and death, and herself preparing for the ordeal of a trial, on the same level as a sordid affair, pushes romanticism into the realm of blasphemy. Once again, Lady Antonia sees sex as a remedy for unhappiness, on par with the consolations of faith and religion at the hour of death.

I must admit, there is more proof that the queen had an innocent, girlish infatuation with her dear friend Madame de Polignac, than there is that she had any deep feelings for Count Fersen. The aggravating thing about the Fersen legend is that it detracts from the queen's much more interesting relationship with her husband, with her many friends and from her journey of faith.

Antonia Fraser heartrendingly describes the calm composure of the condemned queen, strengthened by a power from beyond herself. One wishes that more attention had been given to her spiritual life in a book which is powerful and mesmerizing enough without condescending to sensational tales of love affairs. I daresay that "The Journey" would have been a best seller without introducing the Fersen legend as an attempt to make Marie-Antoinette into someone to whom modern women can "relate." It drags to mediocrity a biography which would have been among the greatest....more

I am not a history buff, so it's hard for me to judge if this book is historically accurate. What I can attest to is that Antonia Fraser knows how to write a very engaging non-fictional narrative. And from my limited experience with non-fiction, it is a hard thing to do.

"Marie Antoinette" doesn't appear to be an overly objective book, the tone of it is very involved and I guess that's what makes it so readable. Fraser paints a very sympathetic portrait of Marie Antoinette, who at some point inI am not a history buff, so it's hard for me to judge if this book is historically accurate. What I can attest to is that Antonia Fraser knows how to write a very engaging non-fictional narrative. And from my limited experience with non-fiction, it is a hard thing to do.

"Marie Antoinette" doesn't appear to be an overly objective book, the tone of it is very involved and I guess that's what makes it so readable. Fraser paints a very sympathetic portrait of Marie Antoinette, who at some point in French history was the most hated woman in the country and was accused of being sexually deviant (to the point of incest), an Austrian spy, an enemy of French people, of bankrupting the country... the list goes on.

Fraser's French queen is extremely likable. Not raised for the high throne, lacking education and crucial understanding of politics, Marie Antoinette is a tragic figure more than anything else. She marries French Dauphin at the age of 14 almost by default, when her sister dies. Without proper tutoring, with her marriage unconsummated for over 7 years, Marie Antoinette keeps herself busy by frivolous occupations: she organizes parties, she dances, she gambles, she buys jewelry and dresses. She is kept in the dark about politics and current events, her first obligation is to be a decoration, not to rule French people who are struggling under heavy taxes. As the years pass, Marie Antoinette becomes a mother, and a great mother at that. She is still apolitical, and yet strangely held responsible for everything bad happening in the country.

Marie Antoinette's political awakening finally happens when France is taken over by the revolutionary forces. When her husband (as inexperienced in politics as she is) finds he has no courage or ability to make decisions about their future, it is Marie Antoinette who takes charge and attempts to salvage monarchy for her son. Unfortunately, due to the lack of clear understanding of politics, she is unable to make the right decisions, and her entire family eventually meets an awful demise.

"Marie Antoinette" is an interesting (and sad) story of a woman whose only aspirations are her family and peaceful life. She is thrown into the world of politics without any preparation and is quickly consumed by it.

Recommended to those readers who are interested in history and biographies of royalty. ...more

This was a good for a beach-ready kind of history. Fraser's good in terms of readability, but she bends over backwards to explain how Antoinette was misunderstood without really coming to terms with the complexity of her public face. I would have liked more footnotes, although I'm probalby not the target audience in that regard. I REALLY would have liked some more editing, not just in terms of overall repetitiousness, but in terms of readability. Fraser writes engagingly and well most of the timThis was a good for a beach-ready kind of history. Fraser's good in terms of readability, but she bends over backwards to explain how Antoinette was misunderstood without really coming to terms with the complexity of her public face. I would have liked more footnotes, although I'm probalby not the target audience in that regard. I REALLY would have liked some more editing, not just in terms of overall repetitiousness, but in terms of readability. Fraser writes engagingly and well most of the time, but every now and then, you arrive at these sentences that make no sense at all. I prefer histories that try to stir up an argument or some kind of engagement with the reader. I felt more like I was being handed a bill of goods. ...more

I have a slight fascination with Marie Antoinette. She is what led me to study the French Revolution whe I did my minor in History. While in Paris, I wanted to visit everything related to her, and when anything on the History Channel comes on about the French Rev., I must watch it. She is probably one of the most misunderstood monarchs. I suppose it's unjust of me to sympathize with her, but she too, was just a girl. Married at 14 to a prince who knew nothing about how to rule a kingdom. ForcedI have a slight fascination with Marie Antoinette. She is what led me to study the French Revolution whe I did my minor in History. While in Paris, I wanted to visit everything related to her, and when anything on the History Channel comes on about the French Rev., I must watch it. She is probably one of the most misunderstood monarchs. I suppose it's unjust of me to sympathize with her, but she too, was just a girl. Married at 14 to a prince who knew nothing about how to rule a kingdom. Forced to learn the French language and the French ways. Taught that decadance was her right and then punished for living up to that expectation. Forced to see friends and loved ones beheaded. I can never get over how they lifted the Princess de Lamballe's head on a stake just for her to see; just out of cruelty. I'm sure her mother, the Empress of Austria, had no idea what kind of life she was sending her daughter to live. Had she known, she probably would have sent her to a nunnery at birth....more

LOVE LOVE LOVE. This book took me a while to get through because of Mrs. Fraser's dense style of writing but also because I tried to savor each moment of this biography. Somehow Antonia Fraser writes in a no nonsense way yet allows the reader to hear the music, and the swish of Marie Antoinette's skirts as she walked through Versailles. This book takes the reader on a journey through an incredible life, causing me to laugh, cry and at one point throw the book I was so incensed at the injusticesLOVE LOVE LOVE. This book took me a while to get through because of Mrs. Fraser's dense style of writing but also because I tried to savor each moment of this biography. Somehow Antonia Fraser writes in a no nonsense way yet allows the reader to hear the music, and the swish of Marie Antoinette's skirts as she walked through Versailles. This book takes the reader on a journey through an incredible life, causing me to laugh, cry and at one point throw the book I was so incensed at the injustices against this tragic figure. I enjoyed how Antonia Fraser analyzed both sides of the argument and presented the Queen's life in an impartial way. However this did not feel like other biographies I have read that are cold and impersonal because Mrs. Fraser allows her opinion (she clearly states that it is her opinion though) and that draws the reader in as if she is telling you a secret. This long, involved book feels too quick and at the end truly you feel as if you have lost a good friend....more

I love reading and learning about Marie Antoinette as a historical figure - she had such a fascinating life, and was such an interesting person - but I could not have been more disappointed with this book. I'm really surprised that it has so many high ratings, so take my review with a grain of salt, but I just found this book to be a complete chore to wade through.

It's really frustrating to see Fraser take such a fascinating historical figure and rob her of all inMarie Antoinette / 0-385-48949-8

I love reading and learning about Marie Antoinette as a historical figure - she had such a fascinating life, and was such an interesting person - but I could not have been more disappointed with this book. I'm really surprised that it has so many high ratings, so take my review with a grain of salt, but I just found this book to be a complete chore to wade through.

It's really frustrating to see Fraser take such a fascinating historical figure and rob her of all interest with some of the dullest writing and bald assertions I've ever seen in a biography. I'm sorry to say that the book reads like the worst of high school history books - dryly vomiting up names and dates with very little context, and jumping about the map to cover events "chronologically" with very little effort made to tie events to one another with any sort of compelling or competent narrative. Fraser seems to regard name-dropping and quote-dropping as being most crucial details, and thus she never hesitates to drop in random quotes from various philosophers, sooth-sayers, and poets - even when doing so is distracting and detracts from the narrative flow.

Too much bald assertion is used here, and to ill effect. For example, Fraser insists that Marie Antoinette's memorable "re-dressing" ceremony was simply not bothersome or traumatic to the young woman, because it was the fashion of the time, not unusual at all, and that "she had, after all, been treated as a doll, to be dressed up in this and that at the adults' whim since childhood; this was just one more example of that process." This may be personal preference, but I dislike this style of writing in biographies - either tell us how the subject felt through actual, historical sources OR tell us how they *might* have regarded an experience, based on conjectures from personality documented through actual, historical sources. Do not, however, just attempt to "channel" the spirit of the biography from the depths of time, and tell us how they felt, because it's just not accurate - it's one woman's opinion. The entire book is written in this vein, and you just never get the impression that you're reading actual history, but rather Fraser's version of how she has decided it must have been. Whether you trust her to be the expert and know what she is talking about is another matter.

I recommend avoiding this book. As a source for Marie Antoinette, I found it sadly lacking, as much of what Fraser asserts as truth is undocumented at best. As reading material, I was repulsed by the turgid prose and by the jump-around-the-map, cram-everything-in-without-context, and drop-a-lot-of-cool-sounding-quotes approach to history.

This book was one of Sofia Coppola's primary sources for her movie "Marie Antoinette" and anyone who's seen the movie will enjoy finding all the quotes used in the movie that the historical figures actually said. It's a good biography and, unlike Coppola's movie, actually tells you what happened to Marie-Antoinette and her family after the mob arrested them and brought them to Paris. Fraser goes a little out of her way to portray Marie-Antoinette as just a misunderstood but good-hearted person (This book was one of Sofia Coppola's primary sources for her movie "Marie Antoinette" and anyone who's seen the movie will enjoy finding all the quotes used in the movie that the historical figures actually said. It's a good biography and, unlike Coppola's movie, actually tells you what happened to Marie-Antoinette and her family after the mob arrested them and brought them to Paris. Fraser goes a little out of her way to portray Marie-Antoinette as just a misunderstood but good-hearted person (the woman was an idiot, Fraser. A nice idiot, but an idiot.), but I didn't mind a little fawning since Fraser's book has a lot of good details about life at Versailles and Marie-Antoinette herself. For instance, did you know that she hated the color orange so much she wouldn't even allow it to be near her? Neither did I, but apparently it's true. ...more

Not only does Antonia Frasier dispell the rumor that Marie Antoinette ever uttered “let them eat cake” when told that the French were starved for bread, she gives a fuller picture of the queen that shows her more than just an extravagant self-involved royal out-of-touch with reality. Frasier packs in gossipy details that keep this from being a dry read.Marie Antoinette is born to be a pawn in her mother’s (Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa) bid to expand Hapsburg power and influence. At the age ofNot only does Antonia Frasier dispell the rumor that Marie Antoinette ever uttered “let them eat cake” when told that the French were starved for bread, she gives a fuller picture of the queen that shows her more than just an extravagant self-involved royal out-of-touch with reality. Frasier packs in gossipy details that keep this from being a dry read.Marie Antoinette is born to be a pawn in her mother’s (Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa) bid to expand Hapsburg power and influence. At the age of 14, a deal is cut for Antoine to marry the future king of France, sealing an alliance between the two empires. Immediately, preparations begin to prepare her for the marriage. Since birth, Marie Antoinette, like all good royal girls, is groomed to be a feminine and submissive royal wife, with lessons in dance, music and etiquette - unfortunately she is otherwise poorly educated, even by 18th century standards. At 15, she is wed to the French dauphin and shipped to France, where she is expected, (with not-so-gentle prodding by her mother and the French royal court) to deliver a future king. Until she delivers, her position in France is uncertain. Frasier details the early struggles of the teenage couple’s marriage and the years it took them to finally consummate it, while painting a vivid picture of royal life with the full court. Marie Antoinette is dressed by ladies in waiting, who get to help based on rank. The royals are crazy – her mother through Antoinette’s servants monitors her monthly periods, others knew the details about when the queen and king tried or had sex. When she finally gives birth, it’s before a gathering of those invited based on rank. Of course, in 18th century France, these were all matters of national importance indicating the future direction of the country. It goes a long way to explaining why Marie Antionette and Louis XVI were so unprepared when they became king and queen. They were born to rule – via a trusted circle of advisers, of course – but when the rules changed after the French Revolution, neither Louis nor Marie Antionette (who apparently had little influence in her husband’s political decisions) were bright enough politicians or visionary enough to see a new role for the monarchy and instead fought every measure to limit their power, eventually even trying to get Austria to send in troops to help restore them to the throne. By the time the revolution rolls around, Frasier has drunken the kool-aid and is fully on the King and Queen’s side, explaining why the royals did what they did. Whether it be trying to preserve the King’s power or their eventual failed escape from Paris, she paints a picture of a king and queen who were devoted to their children and believed the future of France was best served by keeping the king in power. It would have been interesting to get more perspective on the problems going on in the country and whether the King and Queen were totally disconnected as at least Marie Antionette seemed to be. The French Revolution was bloody and eventually led to leaders killing previous leaders in a near-continual cleansing and it’s easy to believe that by the time of King Louis’ execution and then Marie Antoinette’s that revolution leaders had gone too far. Even Thomas Paine argued that the family should be allowed to leave the country and resettle in America. Because Frasier seems to be so behind the royal cause doomed to history, it’s hard to feel like an impartial observer and I at times ended up arguing with the book for its characterization of the King and Queen’s actions, which comes off as a defense. Frasier gives great insight into Marie Antionette’s life and experience up to the end, but she doesn’t apply her critical eye to their actions leading to the revolution and during it. At the same time, she (rightfully) doesn’t spare the revolutionaries.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. I haven't read anything else about Marie Antoinette, but I felt that Fraser did a good job of telling "Marie Antoinette's dramatic story without anticipating its terrible ending," as she writes in the author's note. Here and there she mentions that something will have greater consequences in the future, but she does so in a straightforward manner, with no melodrama.

Much as is the case with Alison Weir's "Six Wives of Henry VIII," Fraser has produced a deeply-researchI enjoyed this quite a bit. I haven't read anything else about Marie Antoinette, but I felt that Fraser did a good job of telling "Marie Antoinette's dramatic story without anticipating its terrible ending," as she writes in the author's note. Here and there she mentions that something will have greater consequences in the future, but she does so in a straightforward manner, with no melodrama.

Much as is the case with Alison Weir's "Six Wives of Henry VIII," Fraser has produced a deeply-researched book that manages to stay clear of being too dry. She provides a cultural context where necessary, and points out inconsistencies in the contemporary, and more modern, accounts of the events of Marie Antoinette's life. We follow her from her upbringing in Vienna through to her death at the guillotine during the French Revolution.

Having seen the Kirsten Dunst film earlier in the fall, it was quite interesting to read a fuller account of Marie Antoinette's life than we see in the film. It was also fun to be reading along and have a scene from the movie come along -- while the filmmakers certainly took liberties, some of the more memorable scenes from the movie (at least for me) appear to have actually happened much as they are presented in the film.

I highly recommend this to anyone wondering how much of the film is taken from life, or to anyone with an interest in royal histories....more

Although it took me so long to read it that I had to pay tremendous fines at the library (ahem...) I did enjoy this book and a better understanding of Marie Antoinette. I certainly learned a lot about Marie Antoinette and the French Court and Revolution, and I liked that it was easy to read but not sensationalized.

I was disappointed, though, that Antonia Fraser, rather than simply writing about Marie Antoinette's life, projected across her views of Marie Antoinette through her writing, forcingAlthough it took me so long to read it that I had to pay tremendous fines at the library (ahem...) I did enjoy this book and a better understanding of Marie Antoinette. I certainly learned a lot about Marie Antoinette and the French Court and Revolution, and I liked that it was easy to read but not sensationalized.

I was disappointed, though, that Antonia Fraser, rather than simply writing about Marie Antoinette's life, projected across her views of Marie Antoinette through her writing, forcing me (if I wasn't careful!) of viewing Marie Antoinette the same way she did. I suppose it's difficult to write an unbiased biography, and maybe she wasn't even trying to, but I would prefer a biography that simply tells me the story and lets me decide for myself....more

Three stars for a very well written biography, but minus two for the difficulty in user[reader] friendliness. I don't think I would've read this whole thing if it wasn't so darned interesting to me. It has alot of very difficult words/wording because (in my opinion) it was written by a famous historian rather than a great 'writer' if you will. It's loaded with historical facts about what we know of Marie Antoinette the person, which is extremely interesting especially since she lead such an inteThree stars for a very well written biography, but minus two for the difficulty in user[reader] friendliness. I don't think I would've read this whole thing if it wasn't so darned interesting to me. It has alot of very difficult words/wording because (in my opinion) it was written by a famous historian rather than a great 'writer' if you will. It's loaded with historical facts about what we know of Marie Antoinette the person, which is extremely interesting especially since she lead such an interesting life. This is also the book that inspired the movie made in 2005 with Kirsten Dunst. ...more

As a little girl, Marie Antoinette was an Archduchess of Austria. She later married Louis XVI, the future king of France. They ruled France in the late 18th century, but that came to an end via the French Revolution. They had to run for their lives, which in the end, they both lost. This is her biography, so it's nonfiction.

This was very good. I must admit to not knowing a lot about her, the time period, or the other people involved, so I learned a lot. Because I don't know as many people, at tiAs a little girl, Marie Antoinette was an Archduchess of Austria. She later married Louis XVI, the future king of France. They ruled France in the late 18th century, but that came to an end via the French Revolution. They had to run for their lives, which in the end, they both lost. This is her biography, so it's nonfiction.

This was very good. I must admit to not knowing a lot about her, the time period, or the other people involved, so I learned a lot. Because I don't know as many people, at times there were a lot of people to try to keep straight, but I think Fraser did a pretty good job of at least keeping clear the main “players”. It's a long book, but it was very good. And I think it's the first I've read by Fraser. I'm sure I'll pick up more and I'll likely read more about Marie Antoinette, as well....more

It is always the sign of a good book when you find yourself slowing down upon nearing the end instead of speeding up, reluctant to come to a close. All the more so when the book is the story of a life and, in slowing down, you somehow try to put off the inevitable death at the end. I definitely found that with this excellent biography of Marie Antoinette; knowing her fate from the outset I still found myself dreading the last few pages, utterly engrossed in this fascinating personality.

From theIt is always the sign of a good book when you find yourself slowing down upon nearing the end instead of speeding up, reluctant to come to a close. All the more so when the book is the story of a life and, in slowing down, you somehow try to put off the inevitable death at the end. I definitely found that with this excellent biography of Marie Antoinette; knowing her fate from the outset I still found myself dreading the last few pages, utterly engrossed in this fascinating personality.

From the moment of her death Marie Antoinette has intrigued and beguiled, her true tender heart, kind nature and compassion for the poor and suffering utterly obscured by the myth of 'let them eat cake', replaced with an image of frivolity, empty-headedness and blithe obliviousness. In these pages Marie Antoinette comes across as a woman who would perhaps have been far happier without a crown, replacing a dead elder sister in the intended marriage to the Dauphin, a personality utterly unsuited to the life of political influence and intrigue intended for her, a woman who disliked the overwhelming pomp and ceremony of the French Court, who was far happier in simpler surroundings, with simpler clothes and ceremonies, a woman utterly devoted to her children.

Antonia Fraser's books are always a delight, and this one is no exception. Despite her claim to be casting a 'dispassionate' eye on Marie Antoinette, one feels she has a real affection for her subject, and this comes across on every page. I think I fell in love a little with Marie Antoinette, fell under her spell as almost all who actually met her tended to do, and I greeted the end of this book with a real pang....more

After visiting Paris and Versailles this summer I wanted to learn more about the history of France and in particularly Marie Antoinette. This book tells the story of a 15 year old Marie Antoinette who is wed for political reasons to the French Dauphin. Neither are well educated or prepared to become King and Queen at early ages. Fraser is a detailed historian and particularly in the first half, explained how she came to conclusions about very intimate parts of life at Versailles. There are manyAfter visiting Paris and Versailles this summer I wanted to learn more about the history of France and in particularly Marie Antoinette. This book tells the story of a 15 year old Marie Antoinette who is wed for political reasons to the French Dauphin. Neither are well educated or prepared to become King and Queen at early ages. Fraser is a detailed historian and particularly in the first half, explained how she came to conclusions about very intimate parts of life at Versailles. There are many names and people which makes it complex and a little hard to keep straight but the basic narrative is easy to follow. I have visited Marie's jail cel where she waited for trial and execution but still didn't realize how long she was there and how incredibly unusual it was for her to be killed. (Normal punishment for a royal would have been exile or life in a convent.) I would recommend this to others really wanting to know more about Louis XVI and Antoinette. I still need to learn more about the French revolution and what led the people to revolt and place so much blame on a Queen who really had no power over her husband the King....more

Before reading this book I knew very little about the doomed queen, Marie Antoinette. I have to confess that, while seriously doubting that she ever made the notorious comment 'let them eat cake' (something, by the way, completely unrelated to her), I had viewed her in my mind as a frivolous, pleasure-loving, essentially none too bright woman who happened to become Queen of France, enjoy a reign of said frivolity and pleasures which covered a turbulent marriage and disastrous relationship with hBefore reading this book I knew very little about the doomed queen, Marie Antoinette. I have to confess that, while seriously doubting that she ever made the notorious comment 'let them eat cake' (something, by the way, completely unrelated to her), I had viewed her in my mind as a frivolous, pleasure-loving, essentially none too bright woman who happened to become Queen of France, enjoy a reign of said frivolity and pleasures which covered a turbulent marriage and disastrous relationship with her French subjects, before being executed in a shockingly bloody Revolution which had also claimed the life of her husband King Louis XVI.

Antonia Fraser's writing is elegant, even elegiac, as I read someone describing it as being somewhere. She sets out in the introduction that she wishes to explore Marie Antoinette's 'journey' without benefit of hindsight in relation to the Queen's eventual awful fate. Many different sides are presented to the Queen in this book: a shy, dependent, essentially clueless 14-year old who was sent alone, separated from her beloved sister and tyrannical but caring mother, to France, to wed a prince she had never met; a nurturing and loving mother of four children (of whom two died young); a frivolous pleasure-seeking Queen; a ready political player during her husband's own political shortcomings; and ultimately, a tragic woman who died for something completely undeserved and yet exhibited tremendous courage, dignity, and strength during the last turbulent years of her life. Indeed, the portrait not given here is the one provided so readily by Marie Antoinette's enemies: a lesbian; an adulteress; a meddler; any traditional negative label given to women in power.

The book is engrossing, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Queen or in the French Revolution. While the book certainly has shortcomings - a more analytical approach which perhaps considered the Queen's relationships, such as with the Princesse de Lamballe, in more critical detail, may have been welcome - it is compelling reading....more

Very good book. I've never read a bio of her before, nor an extended history of France at the end of the ancien regime. I knew that she probably had never said "let them eat cake"; I didn't know that it was a "commonplace saying" put on the lips of other royals already nearly a century earlier. Beyond tidbits of learning like that, there's real history and biography alike.

Fraser gives a good profile of Marie as a person, first of all. That includes detailing her personal development as Dauphine,Very good book. I've never read a bio of her before, nor an extended history of France at the end of the ancien regime. I knew that she probably had never said "let them eat cake"; I didn't know that it was a "commonplace saying" put on the lips of other royals already nearly a century earlier. Beyond tidbits of learning like that, there's real history and biography alike.

Fraser gives a good profile of Marie as a person, first of all. That includes detailing her personal development as Dauphine, then as Queen, even as street-level libelous pamphlets not only claimed she was a sexual vamp, but, eventually, a lesbian one at that.

Meanwhile, she sets this against a Louis XVI who was, it seems, arguably, the least suited of his three brothers to become king. Meanwhile, the two weren't sexually close ... or, it seems, even consummated for months if not years, primarily due to physical problems of his, but also psychology of both.

And, her mother, then her brotehr after his death, as rulers of Hapsburg Austria, expected her to promote Austria's interests at Versailles. This for a Queen relatively uninterested in politics at that time, and with little power at court.

Fraser devotes m ore than one-third of the book to events after the start of the Revolution where, whatever one things of semi-absolute mo;narchy, rampant materialism of French royalty or the semi-ineptness of Louis, we see Marie continue to grow in dignity....more

This is my kind of history. If those shows on the history channel about medieval weapons are history for boys, this is history for the girlies. It feels like reading an 18th century tabloid. In a really good way. I could not put it down, not even to brush my hair. (I needed one of Marie's famous horse-hair wigs). I loved the politics, the history, and Frasier's analysis, artfully dotted with details about the cut and fabric of her gowns, the food on her table, and the horribly wacky rules of lifThis is my kind of history. If those shows on the history channel about medieval weapons are history for boys, this is history for the girlies. It feels like reading an 18th century tabloid. In a really good way. I could not put it down, not even to brush my hair. (I needed one of Marie's famous horse-hair wigs). I loved the politics, the history, and Frasier's analysis, artfully dotted with details about the cut and fabric of her gowns, the food on her table, and the horribly wacky rules of life at Versailles.

I saw the movie, and liked it, but it doesn't bear much resemblance to the book.

If you like this, try Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (a contemporary of Marie), and To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette. (And then visit Versailles, the Petit Trianon, and the Conciergerie). Also, try Frasier's The Wives of Henry VIII....more

Really great biography, just a lot of info. A LOT OF INFO!! It is not easy to finish, nor to keep focused on the material. Antonia Frasier is remarkable and was obviously dedicated to her work.

I had incentive: I planned to watch the movie that was inspired by this biography, if I could finish the book.

So on Christmas Eve, I watched Marie Antionette. The movie was a tiny fraction of the book. Copolla has such a great vision, and followed the book really well. I only wish the movie had been anReally great biography, just a lot of info. A LOT OF INFO!! It is not easy to finish, nor to keep focused on the material. Antonia Frasier is remarkable and was obviously dedicated to her work.

I had incentive: I planned to watch the movie that was inspired by this biography, if I could finish the book.

So on Christmas Eve, I watched Marie Antionette. The movie was a tiny fraction of the book. Copolla has such a great vision, and followed the book really well. I only wish the movie had been an hour longer. And the book had been a few hours shorter... :) ...more

It's weird reading biographies. There can be no great surprises, really; you do already know the ending after all. And in the case of Marie Antoinette, I know the outlines of her life so well that I was curious to see how Fraser shaped the events, rather than finding them out - especially of the last half of her life. I knew very little of her childhood and in fact did not realise that she was the youngest daughter of the Austrian Empress, which does add a particular shade to her upbringing.

OverIt's weird reading biographies. There can be no great surprises, really; you do already know the ending after all. And in the case of Marie Antoinette, I know the outlines of her life so well that I was curious to see how Fraser shaped the events, rather than finding them out - especially of the last half of her life. I knew very little of her childhood and in fact did not realise that she was the youngest daughter of the Austrian Empress, which does add a particular shade to her upbringing.

Overall I really enjoyed Fraser's style, although the use of ellipses in a historical work is a bit weird. But she's eminently readable; having the endnotes at the back of the book helps that, although it does also mean I didn't look at any of them (none of them were discursive so I didn't miss much). There were enough endnotes that I felt like I was reading a well-researched book, which I presume is accurate rather than being wishful thinking!

Of the content, the one rather odd note for me was that Fraser accepts as highly likely the idea that Marie Antoinette did have an affair with Count Axel Fersen, Swedish soldier and general lover of women who did spend time at the court and indeed helped to arrange the escape that ended so disastrously at Varennes. I didn't feel that Fraser offered enough evidence to make their liaison quite as certain as she suggested. Other than that, Fraser is quite sympathetic towards the Archduchess/Dauphine/Queen - and I have no problem with that. Fraser shows the many difficulties that Marie Antoinette faced throughout her life ( for instance, more than seven years of marriage before consummation brings problems on a whole range of levels when you're meant to produce the heir), and does so with an eye for detail and, yes, with sympathy. That's not to say that she shadows the problems that Marie Antoinette brought on herself, and those she did little or nothing to minimise; they too are investigated, sympathetically but rigorously, honestly, as a thorough biographer ought.

Overall this is a really great biography, and reminds me that yes I really do enjoy reading history like this and maybe I should read some more. I believe that it would be quite accessible to those with little knowledge of the revolutionary period; it's instructive of the way women were used politically in European aristocratic and royal circles for centuries, and reflects on the sorts of propaganda that is still used around powerful women today. ...more

I am not a Marie A. fan, but I picked up this because I think the world of Fraser's writing and presentation of history. And once again, she didn't fail me, and I ended up with more compassion for the French queen than I had had reading other histories. Fraser can write!

A wonderful book about the life and downfall of the unfortunate queen of France Marie Antoinette, which provides many details about her from birth to death, even about her children after her death! I was deeply moved by this book, and it made me wonder about the complex nature of the humankind, the hidden violence and hatred within that can be explicit under certain circumstances; moreover, the cruelty of man to man. The book shows the power of the situation and the impacts of environment and edA wonderful book about the life and downfall of the unfortunate queen of France Marie Antoinette, which provides many details about her from birth to death, even about her children after her death! I was deeply moved by this book, and it made me wonder about the complex nature of the humankind, the hidden violence and hatred within that can be explicit under certain circumstances; moreover, the cruelty of man to man. The book shows the power of the situation and the impacts of environment and education on one’s life; for instance, her marriage was planned by her mother in order to promote the alliance between Austria and France. Marie Antoinette, still young (fourteen years old), poorly educated, unprepared, became the wife of Louis XVI, found herself the queen of France. The poor and unfortunate queen was so kind, loving mother, loved doing acts of benevolence and philanthropy, was easily touched by others’ misfortune, loved to please others, nevertheless she was received by huge hatred and slanders by the French people, and she became a kind of a scapegoat. Although she was a pleasure-loving person, had great passion of gambling, diamonds, arts (music and opera in particular) and luxury, most of the members of the French royal family where prodigal. Her last years and days were full of sad and painful events, insults, and humiliation, furthermore, she was the subject of various accusations, such as lesbianism, promiscuity, and having many love affairs with men and women, having love affairs with the king’s brother, considered as a foreigner that secretly supported Austria. I loved her deep love for Count Ferson, and his loyalty toward her until the end; and most of all I was amazed by her courage on the way toward the guillotine, forgiving her enemies. This poor queen was a loving mother, cared more about her children than the politics, however, it took her more than seven years to get her marriage consummated by the shy, indecisive, and weak Louis XVI, who was a kind and loving person in turn, always defending his wife. I enjoyed reading this book, which allowed me to understand a great deal of the circumstances surrounding the French revolution. ...more

Having very much enjoyed Antonia Fraser’s biography, The Life and Loves of Louis XIV I was very keen to read this. I found the opening stunning – who can forget images of the young Arch-Duchesses sleighing in furs and diamonds by torchlight? But the character of under-educated Antoine, eager to please and traded for alliances by her mother Maria Therese, becomes increasingly poignant. Once Antoine arrives in France as the teenage bride of fat and awkward Louis the truth is ever more disturbing.Having very much enjoyed Antonia Fraser’s biography, The Life and Loves of Louis XIV I was very keen to read this. I found the opening stunning – who can forget images of the young Arch-Duchesses sleighing in furs and diamonds by torchlight? But the character of under-educated Antoine, eager to please and traded for alliances by her mother Maria Therese, becomes increasingly poignant. Once Antoine arrives in France as the teenage bride of fat and awkward Louis the truth is ever more disturbing. A huge financial crisis, sponging cronies, a stupid and hedonistic court – none of it was surprising but the accumulation of sad facts began to weigh me down. The last half of the book is awful simply because it is true and so deeply upsetting. Fraser depicts the Queen as very virtuous, regal and rather nice, yet she is derided by the revolutionaries in vile pornography as a depraved monster. There were a few occasions during the Terror when I simply couldn’t listen to the horrors perpetrated and the mob scenes were genuinely chilling. In the end I was left feeling angry with Louis XIV for creating the Versailles court that in many ways trapped and condemned his successors. As for the revolutionaries, this book is certainly a cure for any romantic take on the Revolution – it reads to me as misogynist mass insanity. ...more

Marie Antoinette: The Journey is a biography of the famous French queen starting with her birth in 1755, her childhood in the Viennese court of her mother the Holy Roman Empress, her frivolous youth at Versailles and tragic death at the hands of the Revolution in 1793. In between them lies the forgotten period of the happy wife and mother.

I’ve been reading Fraser’s book on and off for some years now without ever finishing it. I could never quite face Marie-Antoinette’s grim fate and always prefeMarie Antoinette: The Journey is a biography of the famous French queen starting with her birth in 1755, her childhood in the Viennese court of her mother the Holy Roman Empress, her frivolous youth at Versailles and tragic death at the hands of the Revolution in 1793. In between them lies the forgotten period of the happy wife and mother.

I’ve been reading Fraser’s book on and off for some years now without ever finishing it. I could never quite face Marie-Antoinette’s grim fate and always preferred to cling to her happy days and ignore the rest. And yet I finally decided to cross the t’s and finish the book that began my obsession with all things 18th century.

This book definitely goes into the light category where facts are concerned. It’s not the sort of heavy, fact filled tome that would give you a full picture of one’s life and deeds. For a general overview of Marie-Antoinette’s life and times it might be good but if you’re looking for a more in depth review of her life then this is not your book.

One thing that irked me to no end was the author’s insistence that Marie-Antoinette did have an illicit affair with Fersen. The author pretty much admits that there is no proof of this, only far-fetched assumptions, and the amount of hoops that the author jumps through in order to assert her theory is just ridiculous. And story-wise it makes no sense because the portrait that Fraser paints of Marie-Antoinette is of a morally upright woman (if somewhat sexually prudish to modern eyes) faithful to her husband to the point where she remains in a hostile country rather than leave his side AND she also has an affair with another man which, if discovered, could make her end up being locked up in a convent and never seeing her beloved children again. Yes, that makes perfect sense.

And yet for all its sins, both small and bad, I couldn’t help loving this book. Maybe I’m just biased that way. It’s not a bad book after and if you have any love for the period you might enjoy it....more

What a treat! I love the work of Antonia Fraser and I've been looking forward to reading her take on Marie Antoinette, one of the most misunderstood figures in Western History. This biography tracks indeed the journey of a fourteen year old girl-bride, uprooted from her home and landed in a foreign court where she was viewed with suspicion and prejudice, to her rise to a position of authority without power, as the consort to the king of France in the most challenging of times, to her demise on tWhat a treat! I love the work of Antonia Fraser and I've been looking forward to reading her take on Marie Antoinette, one of the most misunderstood figures in Western History. This biography tracks indeed the journey of a fourteen year old girl-bride, uprooted from her home and landed in a foreign court where she was viewed with suspicion and prejudice, to her rise to a position of authority without power, as the consort to the king of France in the most challenging of times, to her demise on the scaffold. From point A to point C, Marie Antoinette goes through a remarkable transformation which has not been given rightful dues, often dismissed behind an odiously fabricated facade of selfishness and frivolity.

Fraser has done an impeccable job. She has produced a biography which is well written, extensively researched and given the proper historical context for the reader to understand the stakes of this fascinating and unfortunate life. Fraser is clearly sympathetic towards her subject, but she will examine and question and evaluate. She takes nothing for granted and I quite appreciated the fact that Fraser keeps her writing away from any tragic hues of hindsight. In her own words, she 'tell(s) Marie Antoinette's dramatic story without anticipating its terrible ending'. This is quite true and thoroughly enjoyable!

I have already proclaimed my admiration for Fraser; I will not reiderate that here. It is far too easy from the public viewpoint to have a simplistic picture of Marie Antoinette and her life & death. Fraser documents the more complex interlocking facts of her life: hated from the first by the people of France as an alien pawn of her mother Maria Theresa's Habsburg Empire, Maria enjoyed a brief period of popularity and then fell again into deeper and deeper disrepute in France. She, herself,I have already proclaimed my admiration for Fraser; I will not reiderate that here. It is far too easy from the public viewpoint to have a simplistic picture of Marie Antoinette and her life & death. Fraser documents the more complex interlocking facts of her life: hated from the first by the people of France as an alien pawn of her mother Maria Theresa's Habsburg Empire, Maria enjoyed a brief period of popularity and then fell again into deeper and deeper disrepute in France. She, herself, however was often unaware of the uber-politics, worrying instead about carrying out personal goals that in the end tormented her as well. It is easy to hate, to disrespect a vacuous self-indulgent spend-thrift, even at the remove of centuries. To gain insight into her every formative influence leaves one feeling more profoundly sad for her instead. This book is brilliantly researched & written....more

I knew Marie Antoinette was executed and yet the whole time I was reading this I kept thinking "yeah, but maybe it won't happen somehow". And then it did, and I was left yet again feeling mildly enraged at patriarchal society and it's determination to put women into boxes and yet somehow still blame them and see fault in them for doing exactly what they were raised to do. (I.E., Marie Antoinette was raised knowing that as a royal daughter she had no purpose other than to be married off to a foreI knew Marie Antoinette was executed and yet the whole time I was reading this I kept thinking "yeah, but maybe it won't happen somehow". And then it did, and I was left yet again feeling mildly enraged at patriarchal society and it's determination to put women into boxes and yet somehow still blame them and see fault in them for doing exactly what they were raised to do. (I.E., Marie Antoinette was raised knowing that as a royal daughter she had no purpose other than to be married off to a foreign royal and become a wife, yet was literally punished and turned into a scapegoat essentially based on the fact that she was a foreign princess.)

I did find this book a bit confusing at times, mostly because there were so many names and many of them were very similar, but it was still a fascinating read and I liked the sympathetic but realistic portrait it painted....more

I've got to admit with all the things we have heard about Marie Antoinette through History, it was always with an unsympathetic edge - indicating that both she and Louis deserved their decapitation. Most of us know her for being extravagent and for the saying - let them eat cake - which according to this book by Antonia Fraser, was never her saying. This is a sympathetic view of the trials and tribulations of one of France's most well recognised historical figures. I enjoyed reading it and haveI've got to admit with all the things we have heard about Marie Antoinette through History, it was always with an unsympathetic edge - indicating that both she and Louis deserved their decapitation. Most of us know her for being extravagent and for the saying - let them eat cake - which according to this book by Antonia Fraser, was never her saying. This is a sympathetic view of the trials and tribulations of one of France's most well recognised historical figures. I enjoyed reading it and have to admit after reading it my feelings towards the Austrian Queen are more sympathetic. In some ways I didn't want it to end with her beheading - which we all know happened and history can not change this. It's an enlighting read into her life and well worth checking out the story of a Queen who was targeted by the French people from the very beginning....more

Antonia Fraser’s "Marie Antoinette: The Journey" was the first historical biography I ever read, and I found, to my delight, that it was the perfect historical biography with which to introduce myself to the genre. It helped me realize that non-fiction could be just as interesting and engaging as a fictional tale, and that a great biographer is able to take all the many facts of a person’s life, from all the many different sources, and weave them all into a story that can be just as emotionallyAntonia Fraser’s "Marie Antoinette: The Journey" was the first historical biography I ever read, and I found, to my delight, that it was the perfect historical biography with which to introduce myself to the genre. It helped me realize that non-fiction could be just as interesting and engaging as a fictional tale, and that a great biographer is able to take all the many facts of a person’s life, from all the many different sources, and weave them all into a story that can be just as emotionally absorbing as that of any fictional character...

Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women'sAntonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women's Lot in Seventeenth Century Britain (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), The Warrior Queens: Boadecia's Chariot, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Marie Antoinette: The Journey (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and most recently Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. She was awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. Antonia Fraser was made DBE in 2011 for her services to literature. Her most recent book is Must You Go?, celebrating her life with Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008. She lives in London....more

“I have seen all, I have heard all, I have forgotten all. marie antoinette”
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“As the Dauphine stepped out of her carriage on to the ceremonial carpet that had been laid down, it was the Duc de Choiseul who was given the privilege of the first salute. Presented with the Duc by Prince Starhemberg, Marie Antoinette exclaimed: 'I shall never forget that you are responsible for my happiness!”
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